Certainly one of Jamaica’s most treasured vocalists, Dennis Brown was so nationally beloved that Bob Marley himself famously praised him as the best reggae singer on the earth. Dubbed the Crown Prince, Brown’s unerring regal grace as a tune stylist was in proof from his very first hit in 1970 – an assured cowl of the Van Dykes’ gospel-tinged R&B ballad “No Man Is an Island.” It’s much more exceptional for the truth that he recorded it whereas nonetheless a pre-teenager. By a prolific profession that spanned producers, labels, and eras, his skill to commandeer a tune, persistently tapping into the emotional essence of each romantic and cultural materials, boasted few friends.
All of which ought to have positioned Brown as a world crossover star like Marley. But exterior of Jamaica and the UK, success commensurate together with his expertise largely eluded him, regardless of a sequence of extremely regarded mid/late decade recordings with producers Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson, AKA the Mighty Two. When Brown signed with US main label A&M within the early 80s, an all-out effort to interrupt him commercially stateside appeared inevitable. Foul Play, his debut for the label, stayed largely trustworthy to his tried and true sound, tastefully updating previous favorites from his repertoire. In contrast, its follow-up, Love Has Discovered Its Manner, possesses an unmistakably slick sonic veneer that overtly courts airplay alongside Black radio’s R&B mainstays. On paper, which will induce skepticism. In observe, it succeeded fairly seamlessly.
Hearken to Dennis Brown’s Love Has Discovered Its Manner now.
Opposite to its clear, and extra importantly convincing, R&B leanings, Love Has Discovered Its Manner was recorded in Kingston with producers Gibbs and Willie Lindo on the helm, and instrumental assist from reggae’s most interesting seasoned session gamers (ubiquitous drum legend Sly Dunbar, keyboardist Winston Wright, bassist Lloyd Parks, et al.). The result’s a real merging of types that speaks to the energy of Brown and his collaborators’ songwriting, and Gibbs and Lindo’s innate understanding of how finest to showcase their star’s items. A average US hit (and Brown’s first), the beautiful title observe instantly units the tone, its seductively laid-back four-on-the-floor rhythm and syncopated horns locked within the candy spot between lover’s rock and a mid-tempo steppers groove. A beautiful synth-spiked dance funk quantity, “Get High On Your Love” ups the BPMs just a few paces with out overwhelming Brown’s unhurried composure. “I Couldn’t Stand Losing You” locations him in additional acquainted romantic territory, his signature attract totally intact.
That Love Has Discovered Its Manner refuses to forsake Brown’s acutely aware dimensions within the title of accessibility could also be its most admirable trait. “Handwriting On the Wall” wraps his lamentations on world issues inside an irresistibly hovering melody. A tough roots observe, “Get Up,” closes the album with a message fully absent of sweetening: “The Kingdom of Jah belongs to His children/Who have repent from their evil ways… The poor feel it, the people cry/The people fight both day and night… (You must repent from your evil ways)/Get up.” For all Brown’s distinct qualities as a crooner, love and righteousness are by no means too far faraway from his finest work.
Hearken to Dennis Brown’s Love Has Discovered Its Manner now.
